Even with six runs (four earned) allowed over six innings, White Sox starter Lucas Giolito deserved a better result during the Orioles' 8-4 victory Sunday afternoon at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Giolito allowed five runs in the first inning against Baltimore, but he should have escaped giving up one run and maybe completely unscathed.
"It happens," Giolito told reporters after falling to 10-11. "We just didn't come out, ready to play defense, myself included."
Cedric Mullins opened with a solid double to left-center, but the White Sox had a chance to nail Mullins as he got stuck between second and third on Joey Rickard's bunt in front of the plate. Catcher Welington Castillo fielded the bunt but waited too long on the throw to second and Mullins slid back in safely.
Jonathan Villar followed with a run-scoring single, and Adam Jones dropped a single into right for a 2-0 lead. After a Trey Mancini strikeout, Villar scored when Yoan Moncada tried to come home on DJ Stewart's hard-hit grounder to second with the infield in. Moncada made a nice pickup, but his throw to Castillo was a little up the first-base line, allowing Villar to race home from third and slide in safely. 
First baseman Matt Davidson's fielding error on a Renato Nunez grounder brought home the fourth run, and Breyvic Valera's sacrifice fly completed the five-run first. After that tough opener, Giolito yielded one run over the next five innings, striking out one and walking two.

"Quite a few pitches that inning that I left up over the plate and the next thing you know, five runs on the board," said Giolito, referring to the first. "But after that, tried to grind through the rest and tried to get through six."
"It wasn't actually one of those things where you go, 'Gosh, they're really getting to him.' For the first inning being what it was, he really did actually do a very nice job," White Sox manager Rick Renteria told reporters. "Ate up some innings, gave us some ups, and we were able to get back into the latter half of our ballgame with some of our relievers."

The long ball provided the White Sox offense. Daniel Palka homered twice, giving him a team-high 24, and breaking a previous tie at 22 with Pete Ward (1963) for the most homers by a left-handed hitting rookie in White Sox history. Yolmer Sanchez also went deep, a two-run shot as part of a three-run fifth.
"We chipped away," Renteria said. "We tried to come back, we scored some runs."

"I'm happy with how I pitched after the first inning," Giolito said. "Hung a changeup that was a home run. My changeup overall today, didn't have a good feel for it. Kind of like last week, but I tried to make pitches and grind through."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Palka banged up: Palka exited in the ninth after trying to make a sliding catch on Nunez's leadoff double to right, sustaining a jammed right knee and tweaking his left side.

"I just kind of jammed into the ground. It was more just, I don't get what happened, kind of bad ground. It just kind of stuck when I slid," said Palka, who is day to day. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine."
"They checked him out. He seems fine," Renteria said. "I'm sure he'll be a little sore tomorrow, and we'll know a little more. Day to day. He should be fine."
SOUND SMART
Moncada struck out three times in Sunday's setback, giving him a Major League high 201 overall.
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
Palka's first home run had a 111.8 mph exit velocity and 40 degree launch angle, per Statcast™. It was his 10th home run hit with 110+ mph exit velocity this season, tying him for third-most with Nelson Cruz, behind Joey Gallo (16) and Giancarlo Stanton (15). Palka also hit his second homer with both 110+ mph and 40+ degrees, making him the only player since Statcast™ began recording data with more than one 110+/40+ home run.
HE SAID IT
"It's not really something I thought about -- leading or not leading. I kind of thought I knew what I could do, and I'm sitting right around there. Kind of gave away the other two at-bats with guys on base, but yeah, it was a good day." -- Palka, on taking the team lead with two homers, while also leaving four on base with a groundout and a strikeout
UP NEXT
Following a Monday off-day, Carlos Rodon (6-5, 3.10) is scheduled to make his 18th start of the season, 10th on the road and fourth of the season against Cleveland with a 6:10 p.m. CT first pitch scheduled at Progressive Field Tuesday. Rodon and Dylan Covey had their starts flip-flopped, with Rodon going closer to regular rest after pitching last Wednesday in Kansas City, while now also being able to face the Cubs on Sunday. He is 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA lifetime at Progressive Field.